The present invention relates to improved solar energy concentrators, improved solar energy collectors, and to systems utilizing an improved concentrator and/or collector.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,246 to Genequand and Stark, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, a solar energy system is disclosed which includes a composite concentrator comprising a central Fresnel lens and slide assemblies of reflective slats disposed adjacent the two longitudianl edges of the Fresnel lens, and a collector disposed below the composite concentrator. British Patent Publication No. 2,054,827 discloses that the two slide assemblies can be disposed at an angle to the central Fresnel lens and can include slats of different widths.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 90,575, filed on Nov. 2, 1979 in the name of Virgil Stark, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a solar energy system which includes at least one concentrator consisting of reflective slats disposed to direct a concentrated target of solar energy at a collector disposed below the concentrator.
Various solar energy systems have been developed and of particular interest are the systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,134,393, 4,191,594, 4,210,121, 4,194,949, 4,249,516, 4,289,118 and in U.S. application Ser. Nos. 807,513, filed June 20, 1977, 44,901, filed June 4, 1979, and 279,203 filed June 30, 1981, the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
While the systems described in the above U.S. patents, British patent publication and U.S. patent applications provide for an efficient conversion of solar energy into useful heat or electrical energy, additional improvements can be made.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,214 to Poliansky and British Patent Specification No. 751,050 of Gardner disclose reflective concentrating structures. The U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,214 to Poliansky discloses a rather complex reflector structure formed of reflector rings of curved geometry. The 751,050 British Patent Specification discloses a reflector structure comprising a large number of rather small reflectors to concentrate solar energy in a focal point above the reflectors.